Ideas fordramatic lighting this location - Eerie cabin

[Ben Scott]

Hi all,

I was hoping to take advantage of your collective wisdom


Shooting a black comedy/drama piece for a friend next month and one of the locations is supposed to be an eerie shack and character interaction between a slightly unsettling and imposing hermit who lives there. While it isn't the case, it could easily be the shack of some horror movie serial killer.


My initial thoughts are to have a 5k or 10k through diffusion hitting that window, with something a touch smaller hitting the small window at the rear and to dirty up and dark areas of the main window to be a little selective about where light passes through and in what intensity, and perhaps have something practical like old mirrors or reflective junk on the opposite wall to bounce back along the remainder of the room. DF-50 hazer has been ordered and will no doubt be getting a lot of use to get some rays and ambience going as well. There will be three people in the scene and we're totally okay for them to move in and out of shadow

By all accounts we'll have a basic grip truck but if there are any suggestions you lovely people could make I can certainly recommend other kit to augment that.

Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Ben

 

[Ben Scott]

Now is this 'no replies or suggestions' because I already posted a workable solution or no replies or suggestions because my current plan was so boring that it wasn't worth replying to?

 

[Scott Bastedo]

Now is this 'no replies or suggestions' because I already posted a workable solution or no replies or suggestions because my current plan was so boring that it wasn't worth replying to?

Day? Night? Both?

If at night, I would blast the 5k through the back window as a back light. I would then board up and dirty the larger window, open up some beams on the ceiling (if possible) and toss the 10k on that side of the building to get shafts of blue. I would then get some old candles or oil lanterns and fill the inside with some warmed-up tungstens.

 

[Ben Scott]

Thanks for replying Scott. Would be day time but those windows in the pics are the sole two source of light aside from any practicals inside so there's an element of control. I'll look into the roof though as its fairly run down and the odd hole here and there wouldn't be the end of the world. Oil lanterns are a great shout and should look suitably good/bad

Food for thought. Much appreciated.

 

[Scott Bastedo]

Thanks for replying Scott. Would be day time but those windows in the pics are the sole two source of light aside from any practicals inside so there's an element of control. I'll look into the roof though as its fairly run down and the odd hole here and there wouldn't be the end of the world. Oil lanterns are a great shout and should look suitably good/bad

Food for thought. Much appreciated.

I like your plan for the day then. Though, aesthetically, I think a hermit would have that window boarded up, at least a little. Hermits hate the world, right?

 

[Ben Scott]

We were thinking to dirty it up and cake it in enough grubbiness to be selective about what came through but boards is a more elegant and thematically pleasing solution. You're a star. And thanks for making your first two posts in here

 

[Björn Benckert]

Sour cream on windows and agree with Scott try to cover up the windows a bit even with some cloth or such and then yes do not forget the cracker at home and something to bounce fill on.

 

[Ben Scott]

Sour Cream? You know when you're wondering if that's slang for some grip truck tool I've never used or actual sour cream? Yeah, that's me...

 

[Ben Scott]

Update: Looks like I'm not gonna have the big grip truck now. I'm gonna have 2x 2.5k HMIs, a 1.2k and a smaller tungsten fixtures. No holes in the roof either sadly.

 

[Mark K.]

That's okay, 2x 2.5k HMIs and 1x 1.2k HMI gives you virtually the same output as a 5k and 10k tungsten anyway. I think your original plan is fine, just hit the windows hard with the HMIs, use the hazer for a bit of diffusion and atmosphere and then let the darkness of the room itself provide the rest of the ambience.

 

[Matthew Scott]

Aside from the lighting ideas above (although I would use less), why not add a swinging single bare-blub 100watt tungsten light in there? I think that could be awesome, and a nice little skin warmer and eye pinger for the skin and face.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Also perhaps some diffusion on lenses? Like some 1/8 Black Promist? (which can look really good on Tungsten filament bulbs and practicals, kind ala what Matthew just suggested...great "bloom" and analog "look"). You can buy some screw in 77mm 1/8 BPM filtration really afforadbly, and have it up on there on your shoot in case it works.

 

[David Kuhn]

I like your plan for the day then. Though, aesthetically, I think a hermit would have that window boarded up, at least a little. Hermits hate the world, right?

Creaky old shutters throwing some nice vertical beams between dried up boards... lots of dust in the air?

 

[Ben Scott]

Aside from the lighting ideas above (although I would use less), why not add a swinging single bare-blub 100watt tungsten light in there? I think that could be awesome, and a nice little skin warmer and eye pinger for the skin and face.

This was discussed only yesterday with the Director! Great minds and all that..

 

[Ben Scott]

Also perhaps some diffusion on lenses? Like some 1/8 Black Promist? (which can look really good on Tungsten filament bulbs and practicals, kind ala what Matthew just suggested...great "bloom" and analog "look"). You can buy some screw in 77mm 1/8 BPM filtration really afforadbly, and have it up on there on your shoot in case it works.

Nice one Nick. Was definitely planning on getting some filtration with my part of the budget but was unsure what to go with between BPM, Hollywood Blackmagics et al.

 

[Ben Scott]

Creaky old shutters throwing some nice vertical beams between dried up boards... lots of dust in the air?

I think they're going to just go with muddying up the window so as to control the exact amount of light thatg ets through Hopefully it'll still create some rays.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Nice one Nick. Was definitely planning on getting some filtration with my part of the budget but was unsure what to go with between BPM, Hollywood Blackmagics et al.

Personally, I would NOT use HBM. Thats Black Pro Mist (well, Black "Frost", which is Schneiders version of BPM) plus Classic Soft. I don't think the beatifying look of "Classic Soft" is really what you need for these scenes. Instead, probably just BPM (or Back Frost) by itself.

I find that BPM 1/8 alone is fantastic. I've read about that strength ALONE being used on so many features at this point in American Cinematrogaher that it's a go-to look for me. I find BPM 1/2 way too strong, and 1/4 is about as far as I'll go. But BPM 1/8 is very popular (from Iron Man movies...on film...to After Earth...shot on F65...also The Descendants used 1/4...shot on Film).

Good luck!!!

 

[Ben Scott]

Cheers Buddy. Great info there.

I also have another scene which is recreating a cookery show in a fancy studio kitchen location so that might benefit from a classic soft treatment but you're absolutely right about this particular scene.

Will update the thread once we've shot. Thanks again all.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Cheers Buddy. Great info there.

I also have another scene which is recreating a cookery show in a fancy studio kitchen location so that might benefit from a classic soft treatment but you're absolutely right about this particular scene.

Will update the thread once we've shot. Thanks again all.

Another piece of filtration to consider is Smoque. Rodrigo Prieto uses it a lot. Again, to add some texture, bloom highlights. Maybe consider that.

 

[Ben Scott]

Ooh what witchcraft is that?! Had never even heard of it... Thanks for the info.